Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Product sources Fishing line life?

How long is monofilament line good for?

My dad got a spool of several thousand yards of line from a friend that works for Berkley 3 or 4 years ago and wants to know if it is still good. It has been stored in a heated garage, out of the sun. Thanks.

Should be ok. My rule of thumb is check breaking strength, and when some comes off the spool is it limber or does it have a good memory? If the breaking strength is much lower than rated, or it has a good memory, then it isn't used. FWIW, I normally respool every year, but then again the line sees a fair amount of sun.

Sunlight is the biggest enemy of mono. If the line is kept out of the light it should be fine. I have a shelf in my garage of almost nothing but spools of different kinds of line and test. I buy the line in bulk, so some spools are pushing 3 years old for the tests I don't use as much. I'm not worried about their quality.

Absolutely the sun is the biggest factor for mono although simply drying out should be checked too. heck you could spool off some of the line that's on the "outside" and throw it out if the roll is so big! BTW Fluorocarbon is incredible, for people used to using mono they should really give it a try.

I've still got a number of spools of line that has to be at least 10 years old. It is out in my fishing shed, so I don't remember what brand it is -- but I think it was a TriLene. Whatever it is, it was discontinued in the late 90s, and I bought all the 4#, 6#, and 8# that I could find before it went extinct. (It is a light green color that perfectly matches the color of local river water and the water in my pond.)

Anyway, I restrung five reels about two or three weeks ago, and it seems as good as ever -- strong, limp, holds a good knot, etc. I've taken no special storage precautions over all this time. It just sits on a shelf in my shed. I replace my line two or three times a season on my most used reels. I figure I've still got 2-3 seasons of my favorite line.

Ken

I agree, fluorocarbon in many situations is great. I especially like it as a leader...

CJ yeah a superbraid with a leader of fluorocarbon is deadly! The superbraids have such a small diameter now that I usually spool my reel with that and then use the fluoro as a shock absorbing leader. Thinner line means less drag through the water as well as more line on the reel.
I think most people have their line break due to fraying as opposed to the line going bad. Using a qtip is a great way to check for damage to your rod eyelets which crack/scratch over time. Any cotton that catches on the eyelet will let you know what is fraying your line!

Yep, I love superbraid with fluorocarbon as a leader. Been using it a lot for drop shot fishing and just plain jig fishing. Great feel!

It has been several years since I have tried the superbraids. Seems like with the braids it would bury into the spool and break my line when I tried to cast, sending my lure off into the distant water. Have they corrected this?

I haven't tried the fluocarbon line. What makes it so special?

The cause of this problem is also one of the biggest advantages of the braids-a very small diameter compared to mono # tests. 8# superbraid is much more thin than 8# mono and this is what can cause the line to bury into the spool. I always make sure that I am adjusting the cast control knobs on my baitcasters to the weight of the lure I am throwing. With the lure dangling just below the tip open the bail and see how fast your bait falls. It should SLOWLY fall with a gentle bob of the rod tip. If it falls too fast turn your cast control knob clockwise, if it isn't falling then you need to loosen it off. I had the same problems until I started doing this little setup before fishing.
Fluorocarbon has apparently the same light refractive qualities as water-it is incredible in clear water! It has less stretch (better hooksets) and is more abrasion resistant than mono. Heck I use 100# fluoro as my muskie leaders

I also like the super braid because they last longer. Don't need to change line every couple of months. No UV ray damage... I really like the Power Pro brand.

Power Pro braid. Best bang for the buck.
How can you not listen to a guy that uses #100 leader?

Hey when you fish a lake that has previously held the world record you gotta be prepared (multiple 60+ lb fish have been caught there)! a few knicks from fishing around rocks and suddenly that 100# test is now 50 or 60#. And that's not considering the damage the teeth can do too!~
I definitely agree about the Power Pro, I don't use any other braid.

I like the heavy fluorocarbon leader as well... Don't get musky going 60+ pounds around here, but 30-40 lbs is possible. I usually use 60 or 80 lb fluorocarbon as a leader.

Is the Berkley Vanish anygood?

Yeah Brandon I use the vanish to make my walleye spinners and like it a lot! Seems to hold up to abrasion a lot better than when I used to use just regular mono

I use braided line almost exclusively these days. I do a lot of fishing around heavy structure like submerged stumps and rock piles. Mono would never stand up to the abuse, and I'd be losing lures left and right.

Just make sure you tie your braided line correctly, or it will be much more likely to fail.

Weissguy, I like the shape of your pond. I use a palomar knot or a trilene knot with 4 wraps for braid. What knot do you like?

the stick - Thanks. We've really enjoyed our pond. As to the knot. I found a good description of the one I often use.

http://www.bassresource.com/fish/knots.html

The Braid Knot
This special fishing knot has been proven to be one of the best for use with braided lines.

1. Run Double loop through eye of hook or lure.
2. Loop around end of line and standing part of braided line 8 times. Thread double loop back between the eye and coils.
3. Tighten knot with a steady, even motion without hesitation. Trim double loop and end of braided line leaving about 1/4".

I can't remember the name of the fishing show, but they do comparisons of different fishing knots. The palomar knot wins hands down for mono, fluorocarbon and braid. Plus its easy enough for even an idiot like me to remember to tie.

I tie all my leaders using a palomar knot, but I've tended to use the braid knot for securing line to swivels.

Sat down and tied the braid knot with 20lb spiderwire to a 6/0 bass hook, worked well sitting at my desk. I am interested to see how well it ties with 6lb fireline in a 20 mph wind.

Sat. morning I put some of the 14lb Vanish on my reel. Absolutley love it. Cast a mile and very sensitive. I caught about 15 bass from 2-4 lbs without ever having to retie. You just got to make sure the line is super wet when cinching down your knot. I tie the Polomar knot.

Anyone that wants to try the fluorocarbon out pick up some "Berkley 100% professional grade" fluorocarbon. Just tried it out and it's even better than vanish! Even with just 8# the leader was holding up to the NP we were catching while walleye fishing this weekend.

Replaced the line on two of my poles after the fact. Fish are too big. Broke the new line once, 17 pound line. Caught about 60 pounds of fish. There were 5 large cats the biggest over 14 pounds and the rest wsere bream. All are fillet and ready to eat. I have several friends I will give most to. Another friend came out about a week ago and caught several large cat fish and bream. keep fishing